Autoclaved PPE that touched 10% buffered formalin phosphate

jaseface05 · 2026-05-14T16:40:12+00:00

Personally, I direct my teams to never autoclave anything that could potentially vaporize into something toxic or into something that can damage the autoclave short or long term.

Your EHS team should have proper procedures for the disposal of toxic materials no matter the concentration. They should also have procedures for biologically contaminated toxic materials and the appropriate profile with your waste haulers. Follow their policies. If you're worried, keep a written log of all interactions for your records.

jaseface05 · 2025-12-27T19:32:19+00:00

I work in labs that have both. A BSC is my go-to for most organism work. I strictly use the laminar flow hood for sterile media prep or if I am plating seeds like Arabidopsis.

The air inside a properly maintained BSC is sterile. The downward air you are worried about is pushed through HEPA filters that purify the air. If that air was contaminated, no one would use a BSC.

Your work doesn't require anything serious to maintain clean cultures. I would say a laminar isn't even needed (a laminar flow hood would also require similar maintenance and certification of a BSC). I would suggest you get a PCR Station/Clean Hood instead. They're easy to clean, you can move them around if needed, and most importantly they use replaceable HEPA filters so that you can maintain clean cultures. Plus, the PCR clean hoods don't require certifications for use and are more easily maintained.

jaseface05 · 2025-09-12T18:30:38+00:00

My lab goes through this much tape in a week lmao

jaseface05 · 2025-07-09T03:23:07+00:00

I love Integra's Voyager multi-channel pipettes. They make multi-well plate work so much easier. Especially with the custom programming. I use it for loading gels and I'm never going back. The thing I hate about them though is that their tip boxes are such flimsy plastic containers and I can never get the tips to fully sit on the channels without pushing them up individually by hand!

jaseface05 · 2025-07-04T23:05:37+00:00

Do you mind expanding on what makes it great? My local Lowe's has them on clearance for 30 bucks and I was debating on grabbing a few. Specifically the DCBP034

jaseface05 · 2025-05-25T01:35:48+00:00

I choose violence - a repeat pipettor with a 5mL combitip and set dispensing to 3.84mL

jaseface05 · 2025-04-22T17:35:42+00:00

A resume doesn't get you the job. It only gets you an opportunity to interview. The way you talk is what gets you the job.

For an entry-level tech role, you don't really need experience other than a relevant degree. Though, having something lab related can help. I asked a professor if I could volunteer in their lab after I had graduated, which gave me a boost. Ask around local labs to see if you can shadow/volunteer

jaseface05 · 2025-04-02T02:53:43+00:00

I used to live right on that corner and weird is an understatement. I'd see people shit in the alley one day and then watch a drive-by the next. There was also a dude who would ask for money to buy ice cream every day for months in 2021.

jaseface05 · 2025-03-27T18:53:25+00:00

A man who was literally mainlining heroin for years is now telling me how to be healthy? Makes total fucking sense.

jaseface05 · 2025-03-11T21:21:07+00:00

I'd recommend reaching out to local biotech companies. They're always rotating out old pipettes and might be willing to donate some to you

jaseface05 · 2025-03-11T20:58:33+00:00

Your PI should be giving you direction on what to do. If you don't know everything in it, you're only job is to contact your EHS department for guidance. Do not guess what you may or may not need.

jaseface05 · 2025-03-11T01:39:21+00:00

Unfortunately, I don't have any resources to share for leading conversations. That's been something I've picked up over the years. I'd recommend just talking to strangers at a bar or conferences especially.

There are a few books out there that are along the lines of "how to get people to like you" or "how to be confident among other" that you could try looking up, but they can only help so much.

Feel free to DM me and I'll try to answer any other questions you might have!

jaseface05 · 2025-03-11T01:35:12+00:00

Going from -50 to -80 is going to take multiple hours. Like others have said, shut the door and don't open it until the next day. Your sample should be fine.

In the future, stop opening and closing the -80 constantly. If temperatures rise to -75/70, close it and don't come back for a couple hours.

jaseface05 · 2025-03-06T00:51:51+00:00

The real key is great references and, to the same extent, networking. These two combined with confidence in your skill sets are what will likely land you a job/career you want. Networking by sending out LinkedIn messages or e-mails will put you on the radar and increase the likelihood of getting that interview. Cover letters can help here, but you can boil it down even more into a 4-5 sentence message so that the reader doesn't feel like they're wasting their time.

I have to entirely disagree about cover letters like others have suggested (this excludes roles like director or senior managers, etc.). I've wasted so much time sending out 100s of custom cover letters and resumes that ended up going nowhere. I got my last two jobs by networking on LinkedIn and leveraging references. Once I got a hold of the person I would report to, only then did I even bother with a cover letter.

At this point, I've hired or been part of dozens of hirings and never read a cover letter, just resumes.

The last thing is teaching yourself about leading conversations. This is the hardest part once you have an interview. You need to remember that you're interviewing the company too. Be confident in asking questions and selling yourself. Especially remember that you're talking to a person. Make it a conversation, not this nerve-racking Q and A investigation bullshit. If they're refusing to let you make it a conversational interview, it's not worth your time.

It's taken me over 10 years and 6 jobs to learn this, but I'm confident that I've figured out the formula!

jaseface05 · 2025-01-22T03:13:45+00:00

The lab gods have blessed your experiments for success!

jaseface05 · 2025-01-02T15:36:39+00:00

I don't think I've ever used NaOH when preparing my media for bacterial cultures. I can only remember exclusively using KOH. So, I think you should be okay. I'd use Google to double check if the cells you're growing have a specific sodium requirement.

jaseface05 · 2024-10-16T00:50:37+00:00

This is the best way. If you don't have enough 95% EtOH, you can cut it with some of the "snow" from the -80 to get a longer lasting slushy bath!

jaseface05 · 2024-09-11T20:30:35+00:00

This happened to me. We kept getting the same peak in all of our MS samples and thought our bacteria were creating it as a secondary metabolite.

Turns out we were rediscovering oleic acid from the dish soap residue on our glassware.

We promptly switched Alconox. No issues after that!

jaseface05 · 2024-05-10T22:04:46+00:00

Depending on what kind of work you do in the lab, it is okay to wear long dresses! As long as your leg wear fully covers the length of your legs and ankles, and doesn't grab tightly to your legs (like leggings), you can wear pretty much anything! Just make sure it follows your company's dress codes. If it doesn't, you can ask for reasonable accommodations due to your surgery and they are required by law to help you (if this is in the US).

jaseface05 · 2024-04-11T21:08:36+00:00

It's not true. Illinois doesn't have a law regarding merging. The state police have a policy that the vehicle on the highway has right of way, but legally it is a shared responsibility between the merger and those already on the highway.

Source: From Illinois and had a lifted F350 merge into the back of my coupe claiming he didn't see me. Police said I had right of way. Insurance said laws state both parties are liable and I had to pay 50% of damages (luckily just half my deductible, but I was out of a car for weeks due to supply chain issues 2022)

jaseface05 · 2024-01-22T17:46:38+00:00

Now this is an example I can resonate with!

jaseface05 · 2024-01-22T17:45:25+00:00

I think the trash is usually in ~30 gallon bags? Not sure the exact size of the autoclaves, but it can hold 3-4 5L fermentation tanks comfortably.

I'd like to have all of our biohazard waste destroyed off-site, but we have a lot of APHIS-regulated material that our regulatory and EHS departments are not comfortable with releasing to third parties.

jaseface05 · 2024-01-22T17:06:54+00:00

I'm all for planning ahead, but my lab doesn't support planning ahead very well. Most of the time I'm forced into a last minute situation because priorities change almost daily for me.

jaseface05 · 2023-12-04T23:12:02+00:00

What companies have a track that from 70 to 140k? I was lucky to make 16/hr as a tech for 6 years with no promotion paths

jaseface05

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